These are my Momentos, short personal diary entries I write daily – since 2013 – and publish monthly. Some links are affiliate links.
1
If I could go back in time to see one music act perform live, it’d probably be Creedence. They were only active from 1968 to 1972, an incredible 4-year run. John Fogerty is 80 years old now, been making music his whole life. Must be weird to have done your best work a half century ago.
2
Planning this trip to France, looking back through the Google Docs in my Travel folder, with names like…
- Belo Horizonte –> Colombia (2014)
- Europe to Asia (2017)
- Pacific Crossing (2014)
- Alpine Countries Tax and Residency Information (2020)
- Morocco (2017)
3
Big travel day. Driving through the French Pyrenees after dark, all these little old towns. Not many of the houses have lights on. When I do see a glow, I like to imagine someone inside watching TV, a family sharing a meal, or two friends having a chat over a cup of tea.
4
This Airbnb we’re staying in was literally a cow shed five years ago. The farmer and his wife transformed it into a luxury accommodation, hot tub and all. Naturally, I start crunching the numbers. 90% occupancy + €230/night = over €70K annual revenue. Not bad.
5
My dream hotel would be a resort in the mountains. Soundproofed rooms optimized for great sleep. A full spa. Super-healthy buffet restaurant open 24/7. You can wear a bathrobe all the time. Spacious grounds for walking, cycling, hiking, boating whenever you like. No to-do list, no planning, no schedule.
6
A nice moment during a difficult day: three deer come out of the woods and start grazing in the field right beyond our hot tub. We get in quietly and watch them for a while. I close my eyes and fall half asleep. It starts to get dark and the rain starts to fall.
7
This trip should have been better, but getting here and getting settled has been exhausting, far from the relaxing and rejuvenating vacation we were hoping for. Really starting to understand the appeal of a staycation. Take a week off, chill out at home and explore the local area. All gain, no pain.
8
In the dream I run into an old school friend on the street, chat to him for a bit. Then a bunch more old school friends come along. They seem a bit cagey and I figure out they’re having a reunion, that they get together regularly. I leave wondering why I’ve never been invited.
9
Got back yesterday. Would love to take it easy today but have to get groceries, cook a load of stuff, exercise, catch up online, organize the workweek. Good energy for it all, but have to be careful. I want to listen to podcasts to make the chores go by quicker, but that will require more of my brain, tire me out faster.
10
Been doing this entrepreneur thing for fifteen years. Can feel hard at times. Then I watch an interview with a guy on YouTube making $25K/month from a simple business he started in February, and it reminds me of what’s possible, and how fast things can change.
11
Weighed myself for the first time in a month. Dropped a kilo. I have the opposite problem of most people, where I actually need to make a conscious effort to eat more or else I lose weight I don’t want to lose.
12
Made 74 calls today. Many went unanswered or to voicemail. Talked to maybe 30 people. Booked one appointment. Definitely lots I can improve with my approach, but I think the main thing is to put in the reps consistently. More volume, less problem.
13
Floating along listening to Sam Cooke’s greatest hits. Incredible body of work, especially considering he died at 33 back in 1964. He was supposedly shot and killed in self defense, but apparently his body was badly beaten and the incident poorly investigated. Lyrics from his most famous song…
It’s been too hard living
But I’m afraid to die
‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there
Beyond the sky
14
Head to get some groceries after lunch, stop in a cafe for a sneaky coffee, leave my phone alone and just look out the window for a while. Back home and I force myself to make at least five cold calls. I make six. They all fall flat, but that’s okay. I’m entitled to the action, not the fruits.
15
I rarely comment online. Was tempted to point out a flaw in that veganism claim today on X but didn’t bother. Had a critical comment typed out about local SEO on LinkedIn but deleted it. Just seems pointless to argue with strangers online. Takes up my time and I’m unlikely to change any minds.
16
Build an audience online, and there are many ways you can leverage it to earn a living. But personally I’d rather have a successful business that’s not dependent on building an audience. Thinking I’d rather make $100K/year and be anonymous online, than $200K/year with tons of followers.
17
Listening to Mel Robbins talk about her life in 2008. A marriage on the rocks, $800K in debt, getting drunk every night, not working, struggling to get out of bed. A few years later she was thriving, and now she’s uber-successful. Good to hear stories like this every now and then.
18
Getting better on the cold calls, more confident with my delivery. More people seem willing to hear my pitch now. Still lots I can get better at, like handling objections, and actually booking appointments. But if I keep putting in the time, methinks I can become very good at this.
19
Today = exactly fifteen years since quitting my job. That’s 5,479 days. I walked thirty minutes to and from work that day, to savor it. The following Monday, I booked in for an afternoon massage. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the walk, and the massage wasn’t great.
20
Reading The Big Sleep for the first time. Snappy writing, especially the dialog. I picture the scenes in film noir. Raymond Chandler actually spent a few summers in my hometown growing up. There’s a commemorative plaque outside the house where he lived with his uncle.
21
Lots of snow here the past 24 hours, the most I’ve seen in November. Had to run some errands this morning. Easy enough, they keep the roads clear. Eased off as I crossed the border. Bought a load of blueberries. Dropped off a box. Had a coffee. Got more groceries. Came home.
22
If you could only be exceptional at one skill, and merely average at everything else, what would you choose? I’m tempted to say sales. With that, you can always make good money, and thereby always afford to hire help in other areas.
23
Idea for a podcast, or perhaps a book or social channel. Call it Turnarounds. Featuring stories of people who went through some tough struggles and then turned their life around. Like the Mel Robbins example I mentioned. There are some podcasts like that already but focused on recovering from addiction.
24
Spent the day in a nearby town, waiting for the car to be serviced. Took a long walk by the river, talked with a friend, visited a couple of cafes, worked a few hours from the library. A nice break in my usual routine. Feeling refreshed, ready to return to the grind tomorrow.
25
Tweaked the opener for my cold calls again, made 50 dials today. I reckon I’m past the unconscious incompetence phase, have become quite aware of how much I suck at this, how much I can improve. Tough on the ego, but ultimately it’s a sign I’m making progress.
26
Years ago, sitting at a bar with a friend in Frankfurt. Referring to the hot bartender, he said to me, it’s fascinating to think that there probably exists a specific sequence of words and actions that I could use to seduce her, if only I knew what they were. I think the same is true of sales.
27
Almost a month since I sent out an edition of the newsletter. I love finding and writing up the content, but the earnings from ads don’t really justify the time spent. Makes more sense to devote time and energy to my agency right now. But I feel a bit guilty and anxious leaving my subscribers hanging.
28
A nice thing about Andorra is that there are a lot of rich people here, always inspiring me to up my game and earn more money. A tough thing about Andorra is that there are a lot of rich people here, hard to avoid comparisons and consider myself lacking.
29
In the dream we drive a long way to visit a farmer and ask for his help. He’s tending to a field when we arrive, but won’t give us the time of day, doesn’t even want to hear what we came for. He gets in his jeep and drives off, leaving us there scratching our heads.
30
Gotta change up my morning routine. I’ve been doing Spanish practice, exercise, breakfast, reading and often YouTube before getting stuck into any work stuff. Could be awake 3-4 hours before I clock any work time. Not great. Might try to do a power hour very first thing, see how that goes.